After a few minor bumps along the way, ¡ARRIBA ESPAÑA! INCLUDING THE PORTABLE SPANISH CIVIL WAR WARGAME rules should be published at some point this week in paperback and eBook format.
At present, I am looking at how the book can also be distributed in PDF format, but if that is possible, it might take a couple more days to sort out.
The book will be on sale for £5.99 in paperback and £2.99 as an eBook. It will be cheaper than most of my more recent books because it contains no photographs and the maps and diagrams are all black & white. This keeps the cost down, and I have passed that saving on to potential purchasers.
This book would not have been published without the help and support of several people, and I would like to acknowledge this publicly. They are:
- Arthur Harman, who continues to be my ‘go to’ proof-reader and much put-upon editor. I think that at one point, due to a glitch with my email account, he was getting the same draft text sent to him every couple of hours! Without his tireless efforts, this book would have never made it into print.
- Robert-Jan Maycock, who administers the Spanish Civil Wargames group on Facebook, and who has been using his own version of THE PORTABLE WARGAME to fight Spanish Civil War battles for some time.
- Nick Huband and Andrew Rolph, who both sent me very useful suggestions and materials for scenarios, which I hope that I have not mangled too much when I adapted them for this book!
Another one for the wishlist. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteJust a quick tip from a layout point-of-view... I'd be tempted to move the illustration on the cover down a bit so that it sits more comfortably between "Portable Spanish Civil War Game" and "Bob Cordery". Currently it's a bit jammed up to the subtitle, and I think the breathing room would do it good.
The Wargame Vault website seems to be popular with the "wargames in PDF" folks. I know I've bought several titles from there in both PDF and print-on-demand.
All the best!
Donjondo,
DeleteThanks for the feedback, but for technical reasons it would require the entire cover to be redesigned to move the image - which is from a contemporary poster - as you suggest.
The paperback and eBook are going to be available via Amazon. I’m thinking of making the PDF available by private sale via my blog.
All the best,
Bob
Time to dust off my SCW armies!
ReplyDeleteAlastair,
DeleteGet dusting!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob, I'm a graphic designer / layout guy by trade so if you want me to look at it for you, then just let me know. It might only take me a jiffy.
ReplyDeleteRegards selling PDFs through your own website... you can become liable for VAT in other countries if you're selling digital goods directly to customers there (see "VATMOSS"). However selling digital goods through a 3rd party, circumnavigates that financial liability as they have to do it instead of you.
Donjondo,
DeleteAmazon exceeded my expectations - and their own predictions - and have already published the paperback and eBook editions, I will try to change the cover, but I am not sure if I can do at this stage of the process.
Thanks for the advice about selling the PDF edition of the book myself. It was one of the options I was looking at.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteGood going there to get your latest book up and running. Hope your not selling yourself short in price- especially the Paper Back. To-night on eBay I saw a paperback I'd dearly like to own written by P.D.Hancock (now out of print)...I'd be prepared to pay a good amount for it but not the asking price of $160 AUS *#!!! It just defies reason why someone would expect to sell the book at that price. Anyway - well done on your new book. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteCheers!
I have always tried to pitch the price of my black & white paperback books (and the eBook editions) at about the same price as a wargame magazine. I could charge more - and do so for the colour editions - but I don't want to make trying the PW rules too expensive.
All the best,
Bob
A £6.00 price tag is far more tempting to me than a higher price for an edition with colour pictures...
ReplyDeleteBest wsihes,
John.
John Armatys (John),
DeleteThe price of printing a colour edition of a book considerably increases its cost, and as there was no compelling need for colour illustrations, I saw no reason not to make the book expensive, I’m also hoping that it will encourage people to buy it!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob, I'll be eagerly watching the blog for a release date. I bought Spain in arms on Kindle yesterday and it's hard to put down. Hope this finds you well,
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Tony.
Unknown (Tony),
DeleteI understand that the book is already on sale on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats. They informed me that this would take three days … and it took less than twenty-four hours!
All the best,
Bob
I searched Amazon, saw it, bought it but as I'm so impatient I bought the Kindle version too ! As I expected from your posts, the first half was a tidied up version of the original (which I still use) ,the PW section with it's "carry overs" from Arriba Espana were excellent and the scenarios were excellent and I can't wait to try them. Congratulations Bob, I'm impressed!
DeleteBest wishes,
Take Care,
Tony.
P.s. When are you giving the Mexican Revolution a go 😉
Unknown (Tony),
DeleteThanks for your very kind words. They are much appreciated.
Unlike Lulu.com, Amazon don’t allow authors to buy pre-publication copies of their books, and I have had to buy mine online like you. They did allow me to download the Kindle edition so that I could check it, and I was pleased with the way it looked on both my table and my Kindle reader.
I am pleased that you’ve enjoyed what you have read so far, and I hope that you enjoy using the rules and the scenarios. I had great fun creating the latter, although drawing the maps took me longer than I expected,
Please could you write a review on Amazon. It will encourage potential purchasers to try both the period and the PW rules.
All the best,
Bob
PS. Have you tried the revolution mini-campaign in DEVELOPING THE PORTABLE WARGAME? It might not quite be about the Mexican Revolution … but it could easily be tweaked so that it comes close.
I have posted a review which reflects my views in no uncertain terms. As to the Mexican matter I've been trying to generate a hybrid of "Restless Revolutionaries", your Colonial P.W. rules and the D.B.A. "spider web" campaign for a while but I'm still not quite happy with it. I shall persevere !
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Tony.
Unknown (Tony),
DeleteThanks very much for the review. I hope to get one of the wargame magazines to publish one as well ... but that will probably be several months down the line!
Your hybrid Mexican Revolution project sounds very interesting, and the elements should meld together quite well. One campaign design that I did consider for a revolution where several factions might be trying to gain control in competition was to use something like the board from Ludo combined with Snakes & Ladders. It's difficult to explain quite how the design was to work, but the ruling government occupied the central hub on the Ludo board and the factions each made their separate progress towards the centre, facing off government forces sent to stop them.
All the best,
Bob
Oddly enough Bob, my old friends at gamers in exile came up with the "San Guano" campaign whilst playing "Junta" (a board game set in a banana republic if you don't remember it) so ludo is no surprise. Again congratulations,
DeleteTake Care,
Tony.
Unknown (Tony),
DeleteThat sounds very interesting. I intend to have a couple of days not doing much, but I might give the Ludo/Snake & Ladders mini-campaign idea a bit of thought.
All the best,
Bob
Excellent price thus increasing its accessibility. It is a pleasant change from the £40 hardback rules awash with eye candy.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteThe only problem with making the book cheap and accessible is the 'it can't be any good if it is that cheap' attitude of some people. I have experienced that phenomena before. Luckily, people are not buying copies at a wargame show, where a quick flip through and the absence of colour pictures is enough to put some people off. The PW rules (and the SCW) have a solid base of enthusiasts who will give the book a go at a reasonable price, and that is who I aimed it at.
All the best,
Bob
Just ordered my copy!
ReplyDeleteSimon,
DeleteCheers! I hope that you enjoy reading and using the rules.
All the best,
Bob
Another one to add to my collection.
ReplyDeleteMartin Rapier,
DeleteCheers! I hope that you enjoy using the rules.
All the best,
Bob